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Last night's "Art of the City" benefit, held at St. Vibiana's to raise funds for A Better L.A., looked a little like a scene from The Wire. The bizarro L.A. edition, that is. In a speech supporting Pete Carroll's non-profit program, mayoral candidate Eric Garcetti pointed to his compadre, LAPD police chief Charlie Beck, from a raised platform, while "Freeway Ricky" Ross watched on from a crowd dotted with civic-minded power-brokers and artists like MEAR One, Sharon Stone, Marisa Tomei, Jeffrey Deitch, and Cheech Marin. Meanwhile, chefs like Joachim Splichal, John Sedlar, Kris Morningstar, Josiah Citrin, and Ian Greslik were among those keeping bellies full, with highlights including abalone panna cotta gelee (Melisse), foie gras torchon with sardine butter (The Royce), beer-braised brisket (Nickel Diner), and marinated octopus (Patina). As Squid ink's Garrett Snyder whispered last night, this would have been one helluva night for the city's biggest super-villain to suddenly materialize, detailing insane demands to the city's elite. Take a look below at a few of of the event's culinary/celebrity high points.